Our Lives On Holiday
by Zlitzen321
Summary: Formerly Happy Singles Awareness Day!, this is the same modern AU before/during/after A Change of Plans. A look at Arthur and Gwen's relationship on the different holidays of the year, starting with Valentine's Day. Arwen and Mergana pairings :
1. Chapter 1: Happy Single's Awareness Day

**Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin, then our poor protagonist would have a freaking permanent girlfriend already. I would also buy myself some really good European chocolate, but as I'm stuck with crappy American food, it's obviously not...**

**Here's to a Happy Singles Awareness Day**

"They're disgusting, aren't they?"

"Who, Merlin and Morgana?"

"Do you see any other couples making disgusting, lovey-dovey eyes at each other?"

"It's Valentine's Day, and we're at a café called The Lover's Lounge; what do you think?"

Arthur Pendragon looked at the spunky, mocha skinned young woman sitting across from him staring dejectedly at the numerous couples around the room who were making "lovey-dovey" eyes at one another. This was definitely not the place for someone single.

She continued, "I don't even know why they invited us, this is so awkward."

"Yeah, at least he's not your sibling." Arthur mumbled, glaring at Merlin over his coffee cup. The young woman, Gwen, as she liked to be called, laughed.

"He may as well be. So no girlfriend, then?"

Arthur snorted, "Not really; my last relationship was a bit of a bust."

"How so?" She cocked her head, looking like an inquisitive little bird; a pretty, inquisitive little bird.

"After being under constant scrutiny about my whereabouts for our whole year long relationship due to _her_ insecurities about me cheating on her, it finally comes out that she was sleeping with someone else; had been for the past six months. And that she was leaving me for him; I'm supposed to get an invitation to the wedding within the next few weeks."

"Ouch."

"And not only that, but it was with one of the guys that _I _introduced her to."

"So a double whammy."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"When did it end?"

"'bout, two weeks ago."

Gwen looked at Arthur sympathetically, "That sucks; my story is a lot less... sticky. I had been with Lance for a little over a year, but we broke up, right after New Year's. I really liked him too, we could have lasted, I think; but he had to get a new job that took him Eastward."

"Really, does he do?"

"Lance, my ex, wants to be a military strategist, but the only opening for him was in the American army. He's brilliant, and quite charismatic." Gwen blushed at the memory, "He'll do well, I think."

"Maybe, but something about a charismatic and brilliant military strategist is ringing alarm bells in my head. They sound suspiciously like they're shouting 'Dictator! Dictator!'. Can you hear them?" Arthur smirked at Gwen and she rolled her eyes.

"Now that you've insulted my ex, do you want to go get me some more coffee?"

"I was thinking of getting something a little stronger; there's a pub next door, if you wanted to tag along." He looked her up and down, appreciating her slightly too low-cut shirt and tight jeans. "I think you'd make a decent drinking partner, or be a good designated driver."

Gwen scoffed, "Pre-call the cab; I practically have two older brothers, I can hold my own."

"We'll just see about that…" Arthur smirked again, "Let's ditch the lovebirds, and go."

Gwen rolled her eyes, then turned and nudged Merlin, who was sitting next to her at the four person table.

"Merlin, Arthur and I are going to go for some real drinks, do you and Morgana want to come?"

Merlin shook his head, and Morgana answered.

"We were going to call it a night and head back to Merlin's apartment to watch a movie or something..." Her tone implying that she was not at all interested in the movie, and that the 'something' was not anything that Arthur or Gwen would want to witness. Ever.

"Guess we'll just have to go without you then." Arthur said, secretly pleased at the recent turn of events, "See you tomorrow Morgana, try not to come in _too_ late, will you? I think the 'I had the most dreadful headache' excuse gets a bit old after a while, don't you?"

Morgana shot her half-brother a glare before standing up and dragging Merlin from his seat. Turning to Gwen she remarked that "It was wonderful to see you again." before stomping out, barely leaving enough time for Merlin to throw a ten on the table for the coffee.

"Well, that's one lovey-dovey couple of to go do the dirty."

Gwen looked at Arthur, and shook her head. "You definitely need some alcohol."

^%^

"So how exactly did you meet Merlin?" Arthur asked, as he and Gwen waited for their liquor to arrive.

"My mother went to school with his mum, and they visited each other a lot. They were like this," she twisted her first two fingers together, "before my mum passed away." Her face grew sad, and she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"I'm sorry," Arthur laid his hand on Gwen's, "my mum died after giving birth to me; which is different, I suppose but still…" he removed his hand and glanced away awkwardly.

"It's okay; it was a while ago; and I'm sorry too, about your mum." Gwen smiled sadly, "Anyways, after my mum died, Hunith, Merlin's mother, really helped my father out. Mainly with the little things, like picking me and my brother up from school, and making sure we had food in the house. Dad can get a little wrapped up in his work and not realize that there's no laundry detergent, or something like that. Merlin would come with her, and as we were the same age, we would play together and pull pranks on my older brother, which was always fun." Gwen smiled fondly at the memory before taking a sip of her newly delivered drink and continuing. "When I was fourteen, my dad moved our family to London, but I still kept in close contact with Merlin. And when his mother wanted him to live in London for a while, he started living with me."

"So there's nothing between you two, at all?"

Gwen shook her head, "I always thought he was cute, but we moved before the two of us were old enough to do anything relationship wise. By the time that he moved to London, I was in a relationship with Lance and he had a girlfriend back home so it just…never happened. Either way, I love him like a brother, and now anything beyond that would be disturbing. So what about you and Morgana? Isn't she your sister?"

"Half sister," Arthur corrected, "My father was quite the ladies man after my mother died, but as far as we know, the daliance one with Morgana's mother was the only one to produce any children. Vivienne and Father were involved when I was about two; I vaguely remember her, she was pretty and liked to play with me. I called her Aunt Vivi." His words slurred towards the end, and Gwen got the impression that Arthur would never have told her this if he wasn't about halfway through his second tankard.

"She left my father about a year later; presumably when she found out she was pregnant with Morgana. Why did she leave? I don't know, but when she died in a car crash years later, Morgana was sent to live with us. She was about ten and hated everyone and everything, especially Uther. Not that I blame her, my father can be a bit of an ass." Arthur looked at Gwen, trying to focus on her face, but failing rather miserably.

"Enough about our parents, we came here to drink about something else. What was it again?" Gwen wondered, looking at the bottom of her decidedly empty tankard.

"The fact that we don't have anybody to spend our Valentine's Day with." Said Arthur, matter of factly.

"Oh, yeah." Gwen raised her newly refilled glass, "Happy Single's Awareness Day!"

"'Single's Awareness Day'? What in the hell is that?" Arthur swayed dangerously on his chair.

"A day in which all people without a significant other are forced to suffer through this disgustingly romantic holiday without someone to be all romantic and cuddly with

"Cuddly? I think I would want to be a bit more than 'cuddly' on Valentine's Day." Arthur waggled his eyebrows and smirked at the woman sitting across from him.

"I will have you know that PG-rated snuggles are all that I stand for. If there's one thing that I learned in public school, it's that you never let a guy into your pants until you have his ring on your finger." Gwen waved her hands about as she talked, thrusting her left one into Arthur's face to make her point. She then sat back on her stool and took another sip of her throat burning beverage, while Arthur looked at her with the most shell shocked expression that he'd ever had before finally telling her that,

"You're the strangest girl I've ever met."

"You're not much better." Gwen stated in an almost child-like manner.

"Whatever you say, madame. Here's to a Happy Single's Awareness Day, and let's pray that we don't find ourselves in a similar situation next year." The pair clanked their newly refilled glasses.

"Amen to that."

"So our master plan worked, hmm?" Merlin said as he and Morgana watched Arthur and Gwen go to the next door tavern.

"Of course it did Merlin; it was _my_ idea, wasn't it?" Morgana winked at her lover, "How long do you think until they admit that they're officially dating?"

"Knowing Arthur, less than six months. Knowing Gwen..."

"Five years?" Morgana smirked and was gently shoved by Merlin's shoulder. "Okay, okay, I'll play nice."

"Thank you. That 'playing nice' doesn't extend to my Valentine's Day gift, does it?"

Morgana now had the beginnings of an evil smile on her face as she thought for a moment.

"I guess that depends on how quickly we can get to your apartment."

Merlin began to wave his arm into the road, "Taxi!"

**A/N- So one of my (few) single friends mentioned the term 'Single's Awareness Day' sometime last week, and I decided to write a fic based around that; mostly due to the moping I've been doing about the knowledge that the only male doing anything for me for Valentine's Day is my dad. Anywho, this is set in the same AU-verse of 'A Change of Plans', probably four or so months after Merlin and Morgana get together and a few months before the incidents of the fic. This gives some background info that I haven't found a way to work into ACoP yet, so tell me how everything fit together! Remember, reviews are love, so spread some, 'cause it's all you need :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Happy St Patrick's Day

**Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin, I could afford to get actual fake nails done at a salon. Seeing as my fake nails are $2 from Claire's, it may be safe to say that I don't own Merlin :/**

"_Hey, Gwen, this is Arthur. I remember last week you mentioned that you weren't doing anything for Saint Patrick's Day so I was wondering if you would be my date to this charity ball I have to attend that evening. Morgana and Merlin are coming; plus, there will be decent food and free alcohol. I realize this is really short notice, but my father mentioned that I needed to bring a date and the first person that popped into my mind was you. Call me when you decide."_

"_Arthur, this is Gwen. I would love to come! Thank you for asking, it sounds like much more fun than watching _Buffy _reruns with my cat. Anyways, call me with the details, and I'll see you then. Bye!"_

"_Gwen, it's Arthur again. I think we're stuck in a particularly nasty game of phone tag. That's sort of annoying, isn't it? The ball starts at seven, so can I pick you up at six-thirty? The function is benefiting a children's hospital, so formal wear, any color. Can't wait to see you; bye._

"_Merlin, can you believe it? We've only been on two dates and he's already asking me to go with him to big fancy functions! You are coming, right? I finally understand what you mean about being intimidated by the company that they keep. I'm completely terrified. What if I'm underdressed? Or overdressed? What if I confuse my forks, and make a complete fool out of myself? This is all so new! Anyways, call me later. Oh! This is Gwen. Bye!"_

"_See, I told you he likes you, Gwen. I have a backstage pass to this drama, and apparently he's- what's the word you used, babe?" 'Enamored' "So he's _enamored_ by you, which is good, according to Morgana. What was that? Oh, yeah! Mum called last night. She's mildly insulted that you haven't told her about your relationship status yet. So call her please, before she gives me another lecture about keeping in touch. See you on Saint Patrick's Day! Bye._

March 17th

Gwen ran a comb through her hair before styling it in a low messy bun with curls falling down the sides of her face. The dress she was wearing was light purple, sleeveless, floor length, and with an empire waist. Her makeup was relatively light and very natural looking.

Simply put, she looked quite stunning as the sleek black limo pulled to a stop in front of her apartment at exactly six forty-five.

"You look beautiful." Arthur murmured as he helped her into the car, where she was given a sharp pinch on the arm by the person sitting next to her.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Merlin grinned, and winked at her slyly;

"Saint Patrick's Day; you're not wearing green."

Gwen rolled her eyes at her childhood friend before sighing.

"I knew you would do that." She smiled what could only be described as an evil grin, "That's why I'm wearing my green necklace. You know the rules; if you pinch someone that's wearing green on Saint Patrick's Day, then the person you pinched has full license to tickle you whenever they see fit."

Merlin's eyes grew wide with fear and he looked desperately to his girlfriend, searching for help but finding nothing but an accomplice for Gwen.

"Fortunately," Gwen said, looking at Morgana, "this punishment can be postponed, as I wish to keep my dress in good condition. However, it is coming-"

"When you least expect it." Morgana finished, letting her fingernails trail up Merlin's leg, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

^%^

"Arthur! Oh, it's been too long. Tell me how you've been; fine, I assume. I don't know because you don't visit."

"Good evening, Mrs. Copperham. I'm very sorry I have not been able to see you recently, but this is a very busy time of the year for Camelot, as you may well remember."

"Ah, yes. My dear Roger was never home in March; always off doing something or another. Still- who is this lovely young woman?" The old woman reached her hand out to Gwen, who shook it delicately and with a certain sense of caution.

"This is my date tonight, Ms. Guinevere Smith. She is a good friend of my sister's boyfriend Merlin. Do you remember him?"

"That skinny young man Morgana was dragging around at the Christmas ball who spilled red wine all over the front of Mr. Stellar's white suit?" Gwen covered her laugh with a well timed cough; Merlin had failed to mention that incident.

"Yes, that would be Merlin." Arthur said, also fighting a smile. Mr. Stellar was a very egotistical man, and having a giant red stain down his front seemed to take him down a notch; not to mention he was so furious he refused to even look at Merlin, who was never far from Morgana, which meant that Mr. Stellar had to stop staring at Morgana's ass.

"I'm surprised that your sister has continued to stay in a relationship with him. He seems quite nice, but not really good enough for a woman of Morgana's caliber, don't you agree?"

At this point, Gwen was practically biting her tongue to ensure that she did not accidently say something she would later regret, and it looked as if Arthur was doing the same.

"My sister is a grown woman who is more than capable of making her own choices. Who she chooses to associate with is none of my concern-"

"Ah, Arthur; there you are!" An older gentleman with graying hair and a commanding demeanor walked up behind Arthur and clapped him on the shoulder. "Mrs. Copperham, how lovely to see you. Might I steal my son for a moment? Thank you very much."

"Father," Arthur said as he was being led away, "I would like you to meet someone. This is my girlfriend, Guinevere."

"How do you do, sir?" Gwen held out her hand to the man she supposed was the infamous Uther Pendragon. His hair was slicked back and his suit was the ideology of perfection; Gwen now understood how Uther's very name struck fear into the hearts of those who heard it.

"Quite well, thank you. Please, tell me a little about yourself; seeing as my son has neglected to tell me he was involved with anyone in the first place." Uther threw a pointed look in Arthur's direction.

"I, um, I'm a nurse at Kensington Memorial. I'm originally from a little town in Wales, but I moved to London when I was fourteen."

"Really, that's quite fascinating. How did you meet my son?"

"I'm good friends with Merlin; we grew up together. He and Morgana introduced us."

A strange look passed over Uther's face that caused Arthur to squeeze Gwen's arm and pull her closer.

"She's a very lovely woman, Father, and I very much enjoy her company. If you will excuse us, I would like to take the lady for a dance."

"Of course," Uther nodded, still studying Gwen's face. He leaned over and whispered into his son's ear, "Do not think that I will let her affiliations be forgotten." Before he turned and left.

^%^

"So overall, did you have a good evening?" Arthur asked in the limo as the couple journeyed back to Gwen's apartment.

"I've had worse," Gwen smiled at Arthur teasingly, "Poor Merlin; I don't think I've ever seen Morgana in such a bad mood before."

"You should have seen her in the teenager years, that was terrifying. Still, I don't envy the poor fellow. This is yet another public function my father has managed to royally screw up by not keeping his mouth shut about issues that should be managed in private."

"Does he really hate Merlin so much?" Gwen asked, leaning back into Arthur's chest.

"I suppose so; I don't think Father hates Merlin, as much as he just thinks that Morgana can do better."

"What do you think?" Gwen turned and looked at Arthur, "I won't judge you for telling the truth."

"Honestly?" Arthur sighed, "I've never seen Morgana this happy before. She's become a better, and more pleasant, person since Merlin showed up. I think Father is a fool for thinking she can do better when she's with someone who makes her… complete, you know? I think that if Father ever did something to break them up, Morgana would never have anything to do with anything him again. But that's just me."

Silence followed, stretching out the long minutes it took for the couple to arrive in front of Gwen's apartment.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. If it makes any difference, I agree with you. Merlin is so much happier with Morgana than he has been since his father's death. And thank you for taking me to the function," Gwen said as Arthur helped her out of the limo, "I really did have a good time."

"Me too," Arthur murmured in her ear as he stood on the doorstep. "There is one good thing that can come from Merlin and Morgana not being here."

"What's that?" Gwen whispered, not daring to breathe.

"If they were here, I couldn't do this." And with that, Arthur pulled Gwen down into their first kiss.

**A/N: Hi all! I promised myself that this was a one-shot, but I have this really nasty problem in which my one-shots end up as stories :/ Plus, I had beautiful people who reviewed, subscribed, and favorited this story who really motivated me to continue. If anyone was confused about the top part in italics, those were phone calls that I used to set the back story about what happened between Happy Single's Awareness Day and St. Patrick's Day, I'm sorry if it didn't make any sense!**

**A/N2: The plan is to write about Arwen's relationship as it progresses throughout the year by looking at it on major holidays. The problem is that I'm American, and have never even met someone from the UK, therefore, I don't know what holidays y'all celebrate etc. So if someone could possibly PM me, or post a comment with whatever holidays you can think of, I will be eternally grateful!**


	3. Chapter 3: April Fools!

**Disclaimer: Jenky computer = mine, Merlin = not mine**

**(A/N: I changed the title from Happy Single's Awareness Day because I decided to continue this from a one-shot into a story and Our Lives on Holiday was the first thing that popped into my head. If anyone can tell me what song the line is from, I'll give them an e-cookie :)**

April 1st

"Gwen! So glad you could make it, please come in." Morgana waved her friend into her apartment.

"What am I; burnt sausages?" complained Arthur, put out by his lack of a greeting.

"You're my brother, I don't have to be pleased to see you, I just have to deal with it. Merlin!"

"Yeah, babe?" Merlin called from the couch with disinterest before turning back to the television.

"Gwen and Arthur are here, come say hello."

"Don't bother," Arthur said, hopping over the back of the couch and landing next to Merlin, "this is much more interesting."

Morgana sighed and rolled her eyes, "Boys will be boys."

Gwen nodded, "As long as they don't start debating on whether rugby league is better than rugby union they should be-"

The two women were interrupted by raised voices from the next room.

"I'm telling you Merlin, rugby union is the way to go."

"That's stupid, everyone knows that rugby league is much better than-"

"Arthur! Merlin! Why don't you go buy us some… um…" Morgana hesitated and looked to Gwen for support.

"Cocoa powder, we need some cocoa powder for dessert tonight."

"Oh! And some butter. Go on, shoo. You are officially being kicked out."

Merlin sauntered over to Morgana, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" he whispered in her ear, but she shoved him away.

"Yes, and you're lucky I don't do more Mr. Put-icy-hot-on-the-toilet-seat and replace-my-lotion-with-mayonnaise."

Both Gwen and Arthur struggled to keep a straight face while Merlin's smug expression of a-prank-well-played-out was outshone by Morgana's do-not-even-_think-_about-ever-doing-that-again face.

Sensing his impending doom if he decided to stay, Merlin began pulling on his coat and yelled at Arthur to "hurry the bloody hell up".

"We'll be back soon," Arthur said to Gwen, giving her a chaste kiss as he walked out.

"No we won't" called Merlin, already out of the door and down Morgana's front steps.

"I'll see you later then," Gwen smiled, ruffling Arthur's hair and closing the door behind him.

Turning back to face Morgana, Gwen started laughing.

"It's not funny!" Morgana exclaimed, though she herself was struggling to keep a straight face.

"I'm not laughing at the pranks, I'm laughing at your reaction." Gwen managed to get out, fanning her face. "How long have you and Merlin been dating?"

"Since last June," Morgana blushed, "almost a year."

"And you still haven't figured out that Merlin is the world's most devious practical joker?"

"Well, I knew that, but…"

"Besides, the awful pranks that Merlin used to pull were enough to drive his mother to threaten him with extremely painful consequences. In fact…" Gwen gave Morgana a concerned look, "are you sure those are all of the pranks he's pulled today?"

"Yes, why?" Morgana answered, beginning to feel uncomfortable herself.

"I don't know… but let's not dwell on this too long, or we'll go crazy."

"So how are things going with you and Gwen?" Merlin asked as he and Arthur walked to the nearby market.

"Not bad, it's been really crazy at Camelot, though, and it seems like every time I have a free night Gwen has to be working, so we hardly get to see each other."

"It happens," Merlin said, and Arthur scoffed.

"You and Morgana practically live together, not to mention you see each other every other day."

"Yeah, but I also have to see you, which is kind of a mood killer."

Arthur shoved Merlin with his shoulder, "So how is life sleeping with my sister?"

"Sleepless," Merlin grinned, then his face turned serious, "she wants to get a rabbit."

"And your point is…?"

"Rabbits are big, commitment wise." Arthur gave Merlin a dry stare, "Okay, so not that big, but I don't like rabbits."

"I think Morgana was messing with your head."

Merlin gave Arthur an incredulous look, "What?"

"She doesn't like rabbits either, or anything even vaguely rodent-like, now that I come to think of it."

"I didn't know that. Why didn't I know that?"

"Merlin," Arthur said, clapping him on the shoulder, "you may as well get used to the fact that my sister is one of the most confusing women I've ever met and if you-"

He was cut off by Merlin's snorting, "_Morgana_ is the most confusing woman you've ever met? You have not spent nearly enough time with Gwen to make that statement."

"What's wrong with Guinevere?" Arthur asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Nothing's particularly _wrong _with her per se, but there will be something wrong with you if you keep on calling her Guinevere."

"She says it doesn't bother her when I say it."

"Perhaps," mused Merlin, "but I've seen enough guys get black eyes over saying her full name to make me nervous, so don't get too comfortable."

"Thank you, Merlin, for your wonderfully sage advice." Arthur replied sarcastically, walking into the food mart.

"So did you play any pranks on Gwen for April Fool's day?" Merlin said, locating the baking needs aisle.

"Er, no? Should I have?"

"Obviously! This is the one day a year where it's socially acceptable to play pranks on people, especially parents, without incurring worlds of wrath. Are you honestly telling me you went your entire childhood without playing one single prank?" Merlin asked, turning to Arthur with a look of apprehension.

"Well, no, but I never pulled anything with my father."

"Why not?" Merlin asked, completely shocked, "They're the most fun to prank."

"Because I value my life?" Arthur said, picking up a package of butter, "Besides, I don't think my father would be very accepting if I froze his toothbrush in its holder or something stupid like that, even if it was 'socially acceptable'."

"I often feel as if your father has a perpetual stick up his ass."

"Merlin!"

"Well it's true, and we all know it. I have a proposition for you; we are going to prank the girls."

"That's the stupidest idea you've ever had. How old are we, eleven?"

"Twenty-nine, and no it's not." Merlin grinned, "We'll start small this year, but next year, we are going to have a royal prank-o-rama, just you wait."

"We're back!" yelled Merlin as he opened the door, "Is it safe to come in?"

"Yeah, we're in the kitchen." Gwen called, wiping her hands on her towel and taking the bag of grocery items from Merlin's hands.

"We brought you Oreos." Arthur stated, holding out the package. "Merlin said they were your favorite."

"Thank you," Gwen blushed, putting the package down and opening it. "I see you two have already descended on the poor biscuits." Referring to the half empty package.

"We got hungry on the way home," Merlin said by way of explanation, winking slyly at Arthur.

"Yeah, when is dinner supposed to be ready?" Arthur asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"In about an hour," came Morgana's slightly harried reply as she frantically stirred something on the stove.

"We've got it all under control, you two go watch rugby or something while we wait for Gaius to arrive, okay?" Gwen said, shooing her best friend and boyfriend into the next room.

Merlin pretended to go willingly, but Arthur stayed behind. Operation Oreo was well underway.

"Go on, Arthur. As long as the two of you don't get into a philosophical debate on the difference between rugbies, I think you'll be fine."

"I know," sighed Arthur, pulling Gwen into a hug, "but I missed you."

Gwen's heart melted, and she sighed contentedly. "I missed you too-"

She was cut off by an Oreo being stuffed into her mouth by Merlin while Morgana stated that, "If you two don't stop with the lovey-dovey in my kitchen, Merlin and I will show you how we can do much, much worse."

This threat, however, was not what made Gwen push Arthur away as quickly as she could. It was the disgusting taste combination only achieved through an Oreo whose white filling had been replaced with toothpaste.

"Happy April Fool's Day!" Arthur laughed as he ran into the other room and practically hid behind Merlin for cover.

Back in the kitchen, Morgana was trying to be sympathetic, but her eyes were watering from the effort.

"It's not funny!" Gwen whined while rinsing her mouth out with water. She marched into the living room and stood in front of her boyfriend and his accomplice.

"You," she pointed to Merlin, "and you," she pointed to Arthur, "are to never come into contact on or about this day again. Ever. Am I understood?"

Both men nodded, eyes wide and mildly terrified. Fortunately for them the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Gaius, Gwen could you get the door please?" Morgana called.

"Sure, hold on for a second," Gwen turned back to the men sitting on the couch, "I will get you back for this, just you wait."

"I guess I should have told you why I stopped pranking Gwen when we were ten." Whispered Merlin as the woman in question walked away.

"Why?" hissed Arthur, afraid of the answer he knew was coming.

"She's terrifying when she's angry."

**A/N: Thank you again to all of the lovely people who subscribed, favorited and reviewed! Here are some responses to comments that I was too lazy to answer (sorry, but I have a terrible condition called procrastinitis which, when combined with school, is usually fatal :)**

**larasmith****- that whole sneakyness part sort of wrote itself right before I posted the story, so I'm glad you liked it. There won't be an Arwen wedding for a while :( so I'm really sorry, but there will be a lot more emotionally charged stuffies before then, so stay tuned!**

**SunnySmile13-**** I keep on intending to reply to you, but I'm lazy and forgetful, which is not a good combination, so again, I'm really sorry! I didn't know that Single's Awareness Day was an actual name for V-day, interesting…**

**miskris95****- Thanks :) I'm working on the next chapter, and it **_**should**_** be up soon (if my sister will leave me alone long enough…)**

**IslandGem****- Thanks, and you're welcome :D**

**rallitsa****- glad you liked it! **

**arthurgwen2010****- here's more, hope you liked it, and I'll try to stay back for as long as my homework permits :/**

**anon- ****thank you soooo much for your help! I had no idea about the St. Patrick's Day thing, so I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but I claim ignorance. One quick question though, what does Eid stand for?**

**Thank you all for reading, and please tell me what you think with that marvelous blue button down below! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Easter

**Disclaimer- If I owned Merlin, I would have Colin Morgan whisk me away for Easter and not have to do homework or socialize with my family. As I have to do both, you can guess the rest…**

**PS- if you had problems viewing the last chapter, I am really sorry! I think it was a FanFiction problem, because when I checked the story, sometimes it would show up, and other times it would not o.O So again, I'm really sorry, and let's hope that nothing like that happens again!**

April – Easter

"Gwen, this is Arthur. I tried calling you earlier, but I got your voicemail, so I thought I would try back later but apparently you're still…um… Sorry, I don't know if you're still in church or anything, but call me when you're done. Thanks, bye."

Arthur sighed and flopped back down on his couch, turning on the television so that he had something to stare blankly at.

Easter was not an easy holiday for him; everyone else had their families visit and churches to attend, but not Arthur.

Christmas was not easy either, but there were always parties, fundraisers, and festivities he attended leading up to the special day that kept him occupied and thoroughly distracted.

Morgana was always off being religious on these holidays in question, along with most of Arthur's other friends and business associates.

Religion was one of the major issues between Morgana and Uther that left poor Arthur stuck in the middle.

Ygraine, Arthur's mother, was a devoted Catholic woman, and had dragged Uther to church every Sunday that they were married. Even when faced with possible infertility, and then death, Ygraine stuck by her beliefs, choosing her child's life over her own because she would never be able to live with herself if she killed the little light inside of her, which Uther attributed to the pro-life attitude of her faith, not acknowledging that it may have just been Ygraine's butter-soft heart.

Even so, after her death, Uther refused to go to church, only entering the grand cathedral for his son's baptism shortly after he turned three months old. Even then, Uther had put up a fuss, only allowing the ceremony because Tristan and Agravaine, Ygraine's brothers, threatened to take Arthur away if Uther did not acknowledge his dying wife's wishes to have her only child baptized in her home church.

As a child, however, Arthur was never exposed to life in the Christian faith, except on the occasional weekend he spent with his uncles. This was why it was such a surprise that Uther even became involved with Vivienne in the first place, as she was a devoted Christian at the Church of England.

She came from a strange family and had an abusive husband; that was all that Arthur knew of her. When she became pregnant with Morgana and left Uther, she left Arthur with a Bible that he had hidden under his bed, knowing that his father would throw it away if he ever found it. He had read it on occasion, curious as to what all of the hype was about, but had not found the text particularly exciting.

This all changed when a nine year old Morgana arrived in the Pendragon household, devout as her mother, perhaps even more so.

The young girl's solace for her omnipresent and overwhelming grief was her mother's Bible, worn from years of use, but still holding the soothing and familiar words that comforted her in a way that nothing else could.

"You must stop this nonsense this instant!" Uther had told her one night, eight or so months after her arrival. "I will be taking you to speak with a therapist tomorrow, and she will help you move on from that- that book." He spat, his rage turning his face a bright red.

"Moving on? That's rich coming from you, Uther Pendragon. You still sit in your wife's old closet and cry, and she's been dead a lot longer than my mum has. Not that you cared about her, or about me!" the firecracker of a girl shot back, running into her room and throwing clothes into her pink schoolbag. "I'm leaving and never coming back! Maybe then I'll find someone who actually does care!" Her feet pounded on the stairs as she ran towards the door and lost herself in the gray London fog.

Arthur had run after her, knowing he would be the only one to do so for some time, searching for hours before finally finding her at the church not too far from their house.

He sat next to her as she quietly said her quiet prayers, before finally breaking the silence.

"He does care, you know; even if it doesn't feel like it. Or that's what I tell myself at least, that if he didn't care he wouldn't be so…."

"Pig headed?" Morgana said, finally looking up at the boy who was supposedly her brother.

"Well, that's a nicer way to put it." Arthur smiled, and Morgana began to cry, climbing desperately into his hesitantly outstretched arms and squeezing him for all he was worth.

The thirteen year old boy had sat in the silence of the deserted sanctuary, awkwardly patting the back of the innocent little girl who had crashed into his life and turned it upside down, when he realized something. Despite her previous outright hatred of Arthur and his home, Morgana was the first person to hug him in what seemed like a really long time.

This had been the start of their true brother-sister bond, one that would prove impossible to break.

Arthur was pulled out of his musings by the loud ringing of his phone.

"Hello Gwen, I was worried you weren't going to call back."

"_Arthur, what _are_ you talking about?"_

"Father! I, er, uh, I thought you were, um, someone else." Arthur's face was bright red as he stammered into his cell phone.

"_Well I'm not your girlfriend, if that's who you thought I was. Do you remember where Morgana was gallivanting off to this weekend? Some little inn called, what was it again? Eagen? Eldove?"_

"Ealdor?" Arthur suggested cautiously.

"_Yes, that was it. Ealdor."_ Uther said with mild distain and a slight sniff. _"When did she say she was going to be back?"_

"Tuesday, I believe. She, Merlin, and Gwen were going down there to visit Hunith for Easter."

"_Hunith?"_ Uther asked, not being able to place the vaguely familiar name.

"Yeah, Merlin's mum. If you're trying to call Morgana, I would wait another hour or so. I'm pretty sure their Mass isn't over until one fifteen."

"_Thank you. Arthur_," Uther began hesitantly.

"Yes Father?" Arthur replied, overly cautious at his father's tone.

"_Would you like to come to dinner sometime within the next week? I have someone I would like you to meet_."

"New business associate?" Arthur asked, already turning back to his television with disinterest.

"_I guess you could say that,"_ something in Uther's tone made Arthur slightly uncomfortable, but he could not quite figure out what it was "_I inform you of the details as soon as I can get a hold of Morgana."_

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Arthur replied, glancing at his watch, and sighing. This was going to be a long day.

"That was such a lovely service, Hunith. Thank you for letting me tag along!" Morgana gushed, linking arms with Merlin as they left the church.

"My pleasure, Love. The Easter service was always Balinor's favorite." Hunith replied, smiling at her son's girlfriend before turning to Gwen. "Did you have a nice time, sweetheart?"

Gwen's dark curls bounced lightly when she nodded, covering her face as she attempted to inconspicuously wipe her eyes.

"S-spring was her favorite season, and she loved Easter t-too." Gwen managed to stutter out before bursting into tears, again.

"Oh, Gwen." Hunith murmured, enveloping the girl into her warm arms. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, of course. I'm just being silly, don't mind me." Gwen said quickly, blowing her nose on Merlin's proffered tissue before climbing into Hunith's car.

The drive to the cemetery was uneventful, only interrupted by Gwen's occasional sniffs and the quiet music drifting from the ancient radio up front.

"Do you want me to wait here?" Morgana asked Merlin quietly, squeezing his hand.

"No, of course not. Come on." Merlin began to pull his girlfriend towards his father's grave when she spontaneously turned and ran towards Gwen's already distant figure, off in search of her mother's gravestone.

"Gwen! Gwen, wait up!" Morgana ran and breathlessly caught up to her friend. "Call Arthur."

"What?" the young woman said, completely caught off guard.

"Call Arthur. He's going to be lonely because I won't be home, and you're going to be lonely because your family isn't here with you, so call him. Besides, talking to someone who never knew her helps; even if you think it won't." She threw a glance towards Merlin, and smiled. "Just try it, okay?"

Gwen nodded and watched as Morgana's tall frame retreated back to Merlin before pulling out her phone.

_3 Missed calls_ and _2 New voicemails_ blinked from her screen, all from Arthur. She hit the redial button and listened to its quiet ringing.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Arthur, it's Gwen."

"_Gwen! How are you?"_

"I'm- I'm," and she burst into tears again.

"_Shhh, you're okay. Tell me what's the matter."_ Arthur soothed, and if they were not speaking over a phone, Gwen could almost imagine his arms pulling her into his shoulder and rocking her gently.

"I'm at my m-mother's grave and it's Easter and that was her f-favorite holiday and none of m-my other family is here and… I miss her." Gwen gushed, before wiping her eyes and taking a steadying breath. "I'm sorry, spring always makes me sad; it was her favorite season."

"_Why?"_ he asked, and Gwen was struck with the simplicity of his question. Whenever she talked about her mum, people usually accepted what she said about her as fact, no one ever asked _why_, until now, that is. Gwen liked it; maybe Morgana's idea was not so farfetched after all.

"She loved the way the flowers bloomed in our garden; she was the biggest plant nut I've ever met…"

"Why?" Why? What right did he have to ask that question? What if she thought he was being insensitive or cruel or-

"_She loved the way the flowers bloomed in our garden; she was the biggest plant nut I've ever met. In college, she majored in Botanical studies, and her lifelong dream was to open a greenhouse. Honestly though, she loved all of the seasons; she would talk about the different plant and how they lived, died, and reproduced based on the time of year. She didn't have a favorite flower; or favorite plant, even. She thought that it was unfair to other plants because by picking a favorite, she would be saying that the plant was perfect, and there was no such thing as a perfect plant. But she really loved lavender, and lemon trees. Our house always smelled like fresh flowers, or rich pine, or apples, depending on the time of year, but there was always lavender in the air. Even after she died, everything still smelled like it. I think that's why we moved, because of the smell. No matter how hard my father tried to get rid of it, by burning candles, bleaching various household objects, or anything else, the smell still wouldn't go away."_

"That must have been hard." Arthur said gently, thinking of how his father was the opposite, and how he sprayed Ygraine's closet with her favorite perfume twice a year, in October on Arthur's birthday and in May, on her birthday, so he could smell her and feel just a little bit closer.

"_And the worst part of it was that I wanted the house to smell like her; it was all that made me feel like she was with me, even if she wasn't there, you know?_"

"Yes; she sounds like a very interesting woman."

"_She was. Oh, What was that? Arthur, I have to go, can I call you later?"_

"Yeah, sure."

"_Thank you for listening to me babble, I'm sure I bored you to tears-"_

"Of course not!" Arthur assured her, chuckling quietly into the mouthpiece. "I miss you."

"_I miss you too,"_ Gwen whispered, almost breathlessly, _"good bye, Arthur."_

"Good bye Guinevere." Arthur said, smiling and hanging up his phone.

"You are so whipped." A gruff voice said from the doorway.

"Leon! What in the hell are you doing here?" Arthur said, jumping from his couch and regarding his best friend.

"I was bored and figured you were bored too, so I came here." Leon said, flopping into Arthur's recently vacated seat.

"The door was locked… You know what, never mind." Arthur shook his head at his friend's ability to open any lock with his "magic fingers" as he called them. "Wanna beer?"

"Sure, can we order takeout or something for dinner?"

"Yeah, whatever you feel like." Arthur called from his kitchen, pulling out a bottle of Leon's favorite drink, as well as one for himself.

Spending the rest of the day with Leon was nice enough; they watched mindless hours of rugby before ordering food from the little Italian place down the street and drank more then they probably should have. But Arthur's thoughts were all about Gwen, processing all that she had told him during their relatively short phone call, and adding it to the complex puzzle of a woman who was making him feel… different. Different then he had ever felt before, and it scared him.

**A/N: This was intended to go up on Sunday, the 8****th****, but Word went jenky on me, so I'm publishing this around midnightish my time, and praying my merciful readers will forgive me! :) I couldn't quite figure out how to do this one, because I don't want Arthur and Gwen to move too fast, but at the same time… argh! It's all so confusing, especially with trying to keep/setup the storyline of A Change of Plans which means I'm trying to build Mergana and Arwen, all at the same time!**

**arthurgwen2010****- again, I'm really sorry about the viewing thing! Glad you enjoyed the chapter and thought it humorous :) (I get nervous about the funny stuff because my family has an awkward sense of humor that no one else understands, so I'm glad Merlin's pranks are appreciated)**

**La La Looney****- is your name possibly in reference to Luna Lovegood? (She's so kewl!) Anyways, glad you love it, you totally made me smile :D**

**Crystal1998****- I never thought about it, but all of these chapters are basically one shots that are interconnected so that they form a massive web of… story? Thank you for the review and the brain food :)**

**LonerSun****- Glad you liked it! I'm sorry that this Easter couldn't have chocolate, but next year probably will :) Christmas will definitely happen, even if I have to write it three months in advance because my schedule goes crazy after Halloween! I'm doing St. George's Day, which is the national holiday for England because they live there, but was also planning on doing the Fourth of July, if only to give you guys an update, so maybe a romantic getaway is necessary for Arwen that just **_**happens**_** to be in France on Nation day ;)**

**Ellarose88****- I am sorry, but I don't know what else I can do. I am not one of those people that is gifted in the technology department :/ (but the people who are = totally awesome :)**

**fdarcy1****- Thank you! Your comment got "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Lion King stuck in my head, and for that, I applaud you :D**

**whitecrossgirl****- Yeppers, Merlin and Arthur are going to prove to be a slightly toxic combination :) Thanks for the holiday suggestion! I know that I've established a lot of the characters as Christians already, partly because statistically speaking, that would be their religion, and partly because I am Christian, so I can better write and understand the meanings behind certain holidays and won't accidentally step on someone's toes. However, I do think that it would be interesting if Gwen had a friend or Arthur had a client of a different religion and they celebrated that way.**

**Thank you all for the marvelous reviews, as well as the favorites and follows; keep them coming, they help my ego ;)**


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